Monday, April 13, 2009
Aquila constellation art installation in the quad will celebrate Earth Day
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The constellation Aquila (the eagle) will adorn the University of Southern Indiana’s quad from Monday, April 27, through Thursday, April 30. Art students and faculty will create Aquila, a temporary art installation inspired by the 11-star constellation and raising awareness about environmental issues, in celebration of Earth Day. An opening reception for Aquila will be held at 7:15 p.m. Monday, April 27, on the labyrinth in front of the Liberal Arts Center. Dr. Hilary Braysmith, associate professor of art, said the constellation idea came from a Public Art class she taught several years ago. “I had students do site research on the USI campus – human history, natural history, aesthetic analysis - all of it. A student came to me and asked if I knew that there is a constellation named Aquila, which means eagle.” The eagle is the University’s mascot. “From that moment, I’ve always wanted to do a piece based on that,” Braysmith said. “That’s just too fabulous to pass up.” USI art students will work with Braysmith and Rob Millard Mendez, assistant professor of art, to create the art installation. Each star in the constellation will consist of a steel disk surrounded by a plywood circle supported by short wooden stilts. Each plywood circle will have an environmental fact painted on it to focus attention on the importance of recycling. The stars will be surrounded by a design created out of aluminum cans which have been collected in recycling bins around the USI Campus. Those who participate in the piece by visiting each star will experience the impact of the environmental facts. As facts accumulate, the hemispheres or disks will turn increasingly red. Altair, the largest star in the constellation, will offer participants the opportunity to reverse the process. As they continue visiting the rest of the stars, participants can observe how increasing recycling can help change the hemispheres back to green. Faculty and students also are working to incorporate the idea of illumination or light in the piece. Aquila is a temporary installation, but Braysmith said, “We are not sure what the future holds for Aquila. If things worked out, it would be wonderful to make Aquila an annual fall ritual (when the constellation is visible) through which it can identify and encourage campus-wide sustainability efforts. We could set up a website where we could set environmental goals and measure them. Earth Day could be a celebration of our improvements.” Aquila is funded by a Major as Home grant. Developed by the Office of the Provost, the Major as Home initiative is intended to strengthen student connections with the academic department and faculty of their major. For more information about Aquila, contact Braysmith at hbraysmi@usi.edu or 812/464 1740. Wendy Knipe Bredhold News & Information Services 812/461-5259 or wkbredhold@usi.edu |
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